From the Capitol: State's problem is spending and misspending

Friday

Feb 28, 2014 at 12:30 PM

The 2014 Spring Session of the 98th General Assembly in Illinois is in full swing. One of the first items on the agenda this past week was House Joint Resolution 80 (HJR80) which sets forth the amounts of general funds estimated to be available during the State Fiscal Year of 2015.

The revenue amount was set at $34.495 billion and was passed 112 to 0. Interestingly, the amount passed for last year FY2014 was $35.446 billion and the actual amount was $36.073 billion. For FY2013 it was $33.719 billion and for FY2012 it was $33.173 billion. So the amount set for the upcoming year is $1.578 billion less than last year.

However, please keep in mind that this joint resolution has no force of law and is only a guideline for the appropriations committees in their deliberations. As has been said before, Illinois does not have a revenue problem. We have a spending problem and it would be best for the state to spend over a billion dollars LESS this upcoming year and begin to reduce our state debt.

Speaking of spending and reducing the budget, I also wanted to bring to your attention a brief summary of a critical audit report released this week from the Illinois auditor general that has garnered a lot of press coverage. The Neighborhood Recovery Initiative or NRI was a $54.55 million dollar program that was meant to reduce risk factors associated with violence in 23 communities in Chicago.

The majority of the funds were from the governor's discretionary appropriations. The audit found "pervasive deficiencies" in the planning, implementation and management of the NRI Program. I will note that I am completely supportive of programs aimed to reduce violence in our neighborhoods and make our communities a safer place for our families.

However, I am not in favor of a program that according to the report was "hastily implemented," and in which "due diligence was not exercised" and "contracts were not timely approved." The program also "failed to implement financial controls," and did not provide "documents to support community selections. Seven of the top 20 Chicago communities for violent crimes did not even receive funds.

According to news reports, the program paid at-risk teens to hand out flyers promoting inner peace, take field trips to museums, attend yoga classes to learn how to handle stress and march in a parade with the governor. The report also listed numerous areas of concern that members of the General Assembly, including Sen. Tim Bivins, are calling for a criminal investigation into the alleged misuse of state funds. You can view the report in its entirety at www.auditor.illinois.gov and draw your own conclusions.

There are hundreds of other bills that have been introduced, and they will work their way through committees this spring. I will write about some notable ones from time to time and keep you updated. You can also follow them at www.ilga.gov and type in the House or Senate Bill Number, if known, or search a key word.

Since this week's article is about revenue and spending or misspending of tax dollars, I am reminded of a quote from Thomas Sowell: "The real goal should be reduced government spending, rather than balanced budgets achieved by ever-rising tax rates to cover ever-rising spending."

Brian Stewart is the 89th District state representative. You can reach him or Sally at 815-232-0774 or e-mail us at repstewart@gmail.com. You can also visit his website at www.repbrianstewart.com or on Facebook.